Mary Shelly in Frankenstein places the responsibility for the monster’s actions on Victor not for its creation but for his abandoning it. It is simply an act of ultimate irresponsibility when Victor creates the monster and then abandons it immediately. While the very creation was also a sign of irresponsibility, where we find Victor isolating himself from other people to conduct his experiments with freedom from moral constraints that would have been imposed on him otherwise.
It is an interesting discourse whether the monster might have turned out different had it been welcomed by its creator with love and understanding as opposed to being loosed to a hostile and prejudiced society. After all, the monsters first interaction with the family of cottagers has it trying to alleviate their poverty because it is touched by interactions described as “full of warmth.” The creature even cuts firewood and stops taking their food so as to, “restore happiness to these deserving people” indicating that the creature was inherently good and only turned evil due to the cruelty and hostility from humans when it sought companionship.
In contrast, Victor’s parents are the direct opposites of him. They are kind and compassionate with Victor insisting that he had “the best of all possible worlds.” He remembers his parents loving him dearly and constantly showing love and affection for him. In addition, they were wealthy his mother often cared for the less fortunate. Victor’s parents are objectively good parents who raise their child in a secure and loved environment.
The book presents a compelling case of nurture over nature. The creature was not a monster at its creation point. As mentioned earlier, it was compassionate and tried to solve the cottage family’s poverty. In fact, it naively revealed itself to them thinking that their “amiable and benevolent dispositions” would allow them to overlook his physical deformities. The creature simply sought kindness and companionship but is rejected, noting that a “fatal prejudice clouds their eyes.” Therefore, Victor acted responsibly and nurtured the creature providing it with the comfort, kindness and kinship that is desired then the tale of Frankenstein would have had a different ending.
Works Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein . London: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1831. Print.
